Education and training services

Tender description

The National College for Teaching and Leadership (NCTL), an executive agency of the DfE, is seeking 1 national provider (or consortium) to deliver a new ‘High Potential Senior Leaders’ programme, providing an accelerated development route for senior leaders into headteacher posts in schools and areas (within two to three years of starting the programme) where they can make the most difference. A minimum of 400 participants is required across four cohorts, starting in September 2017, September 2018, September 2019 and September 2020. The contract will be awarded in January 2017 for immediate commencement to guarantee delivery of the first cohort in September 2017. Delivery requirements include: selection and assessment of suitable candidates; design and delivery of a programme, up to 2 years in length, informed by international evidence and the needs of an academised system; and quality assurance and tracking processes to maximise the impact of the programme in challenging schools. The Department for Education's (DfE) vision is for a school-led system that helps drive social mobility (Social Mobility Definition: The extent to which a child's socio-economic circumstances at birth determines their own socio-economic status in adulthood (including their income, education and employment) ensuring that every child and young person can achieve their best regardless of location, prior attainment and background. Good and outstanding leadership is essential to improving the quality of teaching in schools and to improving pupil outcomes. Effective school leadership has a profound impact on the quality of education a child receives. Research from the United States indicates that highly effective headteachers raise the achievement of a typical student in their schools by the equivalent of between two and seven months of learning in a single school year (Measuring the impact of effective principals, http://hanushek.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/publications/Branch%2BHanushek%2BRivkin%202013%20EdNext%2013%281%29_0.pdf ). A more autonomous school system is even more reliant on great educational leaders to achieve educational excellence everywhere and, in particular, in challenging schools and areas. These areas are where strong leaders are needed the most, especially in schools with poor results, high levels of deprivation, or in parts of the country where it is hard to recruit. Overall, 18 % of secondary schools and 11 % of primaries are not rated good or outstanding for leadership and management by Ofsted (as at March 2016 https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/maintained-schools-and-academies-inspections-and-outcomes-as-at-31-march-2016). This position varies significantly according to region, and addressing this is vital if the school-led system is to deliver excellence everywhere. The DfE has funded a High Potential Senior Leaders (HPSL) Programme since 2006 as a targeted intervention which aims to improve the leadership of England's challenging schools by helping them to attract and develop high quality leaders with the capability to become headteachers in schools that need them the most. NCTL is therefore seeking 1 national provider (or consortium) to: 1. Design, develop and deliver a new HPSL programme (no more than 2 years in length) to accelerate experienced senior leaders towards headship within two to three years of starting the programme. 2. Recruit and deliver the new programme to four cohorts between 2017 and 2020, reaching a minimum total of 400 participants. 3. Continuously review the programme and ensure flexibility to adapt to emerging needs and government priorities quickly. 4. Develop and implement robust quality assurance and processes to maximise the impact of the programme in challenging schools; and track participants' progress, career progressions and impact on pupil outcomes. 5. Agree to a third party evaluation of the programme over the term of the contract and engage constructively with the outputs of the evaluation. The new programme will need to provide: — Content informed by international best practice and current theoretical research which reflects the needs of a changing leadership landscape. — National reach in England targeting specific geographical areas (please see the Invitation to Bid for further information). — A robust, fair and consistent selection process to recruit participants with the capability to reach headship within 2 to 3 years of starting the programme. Please note the contract requirements will be subject to available financial resources, supplier performance and flexibility to meet changing demands during the term of the contract, and continued government support. The anticipated total maximum contract value for four cohorts is 8 300 000 GBP (inclusive of all expenses and exclusive of VAT). VAT (where applicable) will be at the prevailing rate.